Changes
by bluejay
Summary: Preparations bring stress, and Barbara is definitely stressed. Part of the Dusty-verse, co-written with InvisibleBrunette.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Not ours- Except Dusty. DC owns the rest.

Notes: Another new addition to this AU-verse of ours. This is something for all of you who liked a little romance in fics.

* * *

"What sort of theme would you like, Ms. Gordon, Mr. Wayne?" the wedding planner's face held polite interest but Barbara thought she detected a little eagerness in the woman's eyes. But she kept the snort to herself as she remembered how snooty the woman had looked when Barbara first entered the office.

All that changed, of course, when Dick strolled in and charmed the haughtiness out of the woman...and then he identified himself.

"What sort of themes have you done?" Barbara asked similarly politely and was handed a catalogue of weddings the planner had worked. She wouldn't let how the woman's piranha attitude made her want to leave and search out another wedding planner just out of spite.

"She came highly recommended by the Handelsons and Gunnessons," Dick had told her on the way to the planner's office. "In fact, they couldn't imagine anyone else planning their cousins' weddings."

And Barbara, to keep from curbing Dick's enthusiasm, kept her comments to herself and went along the trip. Of course, now that she'd seen and met with the 'highly recommended' wedding planner, she made a mental note to herself to tell Dick not to listen to the recommendations given by Bruce's society 'friends.' _In fact_, she mentally added, _remind self not to completely rely on Dick's choices. Men. _The last was tacked on with a sigh.

"Yes, the fantasy theme is a popular choice for our clients," the planner said, mistaking the sigh for awe instead of the exasperation Barbara felt. The woman delicately flipped a couple of pages to show pictures of beautiful settings, extravagant decors, and toothpaste commercial-worthy grins. "We've had weddings where we released butterflies by the Church doors, rose petal-covered carpets, replica _sakura _trees tastefully placed around the reception area, even beautiful flower arrangements in tall porcelain vases as table centerpieces that the guests could take home as souvenirs."

_All for a low, low price of one million, four hundred thirty eight thousand, and small change._ Barbara thought to herself. She flipped to another page that held photos of lush greenery, flowing fabrics, and...are those sparkles? "And what about this one?"

"Ah, our fairytale theme. We have a range of pearlized powders to achieve the subtle sparkle you see..." and the planner waxed on and on about even more decadent expenses.

Barbara glanced at her husband-to-be out of the corner of her eye and nearly burst out laughing. He had a smile on his face but that was a mask for the completely-bored-out-of-his-mind look in his eyes that only people who knew him well could see. _Well, if the groom isn't impressed, then the bride won't be either._

"We'll have to think about our choice, Allison," Barbara told the planner, gently flipping the catalogue closed and pushing it back. "Thank you for your time."

"Of course," the woman smiled widely as though she knew she'd won their patronage. Barbara didn't bother to hint that neither she nor Dick was coming back.

"Sooo," Dick drawled as he climbed into the car after settling the wheelchair in the backseat. "Have you decided on what the theme is?"

"Actually," she gave him the most innocent smile that she could, "I've a few ideas even before we came here."

"Yeah?" he grinned at her before turning his attention back to the road. "What have you decided?"

"Hmm. It depends."

"On?"

"You remember who the Handelsons and the Gunnessons are, right?"

He gave her a confused glance as he answered, "Sure, they're Bruce's friends-"

"Correction: they're _Brucie's_ friends."

"What does that have to do with..." The furrows on his forehead eased as realization dawned and his smile quickly turned sheepish. "Oh, right. They're some of Bruce's _snooty _friends."

"Oh, they're not as snooty as others," Barbara teased him, "But seriously, what made you think to follow their recommendation?"

"Well, they... I mean, I..." He ducked his head briefly in shame but kept driving. "Alright, so I was only thinking I don't know any wedding planners and they were the only ones to recommend _someone_."

Barbara blew out an exasperated sigh. "_Men_."

"Okay! So it wasn't my best idea!"

"That's not the only 'best' idea you've ever come up with, Adult Wonder," she gave him a stern look and then relented as she took his hand that was on the gear shift. "Let me search out a wedding planner we could _both _be happy with, alright? It should be easy for Oracle to find someone."

Dick sighed and squeezed her hand. "Okay. I'll leave it up to Oracle then. But I still get some say in the decisions!"

"Dick," she entwined her fingers with his. "We promised each other 'together', didn't we?"

For a brief second, he gave her the charming grin that had her heart skipping a beat. "Yes, we did. Together."

"Good." She turned to face the road in front of them but kept her hand in his except for when he needed to shift gears. "By the way, it's spring."

"What?"

"The theme for our wedding. It's spring."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not ours- Except Dusty. DC owns the rest.

Notes: Here comes the stress. Me and InvisibleBrunette are basing this on what I know of local wedding customs and what InvisibleBrunette can remember of the wedding she attended years ago. Neither of us have ever gotten hitched, but my brother has and I used that experience as a sort of reference :D

* * *

Invitations. Guest lists. Seating arrangements. Centerpieces. Flowers. Which designer to choose? Colors. Party favors. Churches. Reception venues. _Schedules_.

It was driving Barbara nuts. Now that they'd decided on a theme (and Dick was so happy at her choice he squeezed her until she swore she could hear her ribs creak), the rest of the preparations should fall into place...right?

_Wrong._

The wedding planner wanted a two to three color motif. The designers wanted to know if she wanted her chair to be decorated too. The flower shop gave her a catalogue of spring flowers to choose from. The reception venues were booked for months. And the guest list? She didn't even want to think about the guest list.

The whole thing gave her migraines, she lost sleep, her tops were starting to swim on her; but it kept her mind busy - too busy to really think about what she was getting herself into.

"The Gotham Crowne's available on the 19th," The hotel staff said on the phone. "I'm afraid the 26th is completely booked for five other events."

"But the wedding is scheduled for the 26th." Barbara protested before she realized what she said. Her mind was truly blanking from all the stresses the wedding preparations tossed on her if she started sounding like a Ms. McSnootypants who didn't get her way.

"Then I'm sorry, ma'am, but you'll have to either find another hotel or re-schedule. I simply can't squeeze in another event."

Barbara sighed. "Alright. I'll see what I can do. Thanks for your time."

"Thank you for calling Gotham Crowne. Have a nice day." The headset gave a click then a dial tone.

She closed the window that contained the phone-call application and leaned back on her chair. _Schedules_, oh how she currently hated that word. It should all fall into place if only everything stuck to the same schedule!

"Bad news?" the voice that came from her window was not unwelcome.

"It's not a major crisis," she said and relaxed into the warm hands that massaged her shoulders. "The Crowne's fully booked on the 26th."

Dick whistled, his hands still kneading. "That makes it...what? The sixth hotel that's fully booked? That's a lot of folks booking early."

"The 26th must be a popular date. And we're still out a place to hold the reception," she winced when Dick hit a particularly nasty spot and sighed when the sharp pain eased. "You're good at this."

"You mean the massage? I learned it from the great masseuses of the Far East!"

Barbara reached up to hold one of his hands and gave him a skeptical eyebrow.

"Okay, okay! It's an acquired skill from the circus. Traveling for weeks at a time, doing how many shows a day, and practicing whenever it isn't showtime," his roguish grin was not hampered in any way by the starlite lenses on his mask, "it makes for a lot of strained muscles and cramps. And then it was just better to do our own doctoring for those times."

"Mmm," Barbara hummed, "you mean Bruce didn't teach you how to do this too?"

"He didn't have to."

Barbara sighed in contentment and let her aching eyes drift close. It still amazed her sometimes, how she couldn't feel how tired her eyes were until she closed them. Or how cramped and stiff her back had become.

"You know," Dick spoke into the silence, "I have an idea for where we can hold the reception."

"I'm all ears."

Dick grinned down at her. "How about I get Bruce to agree to let us use the Manor?"

She had to blink at that. First, because the Manor hadn't occurred to her and second, because _why didn't I think of that?_

"Will Bruce...?"

"There's a good chance he'll agree," Dick reassured her. "Though he'll end up having major control over the guest list."

Barbara groaned. "Please don't remind me of the guest list."

Dick drew back in surprise. "What's wrong with the guest list?"

She gave him a look that pretty much said she didn't believe his innocent look. "Bruce wants it to be small but he has to keep up appearances so expect some of _Brucie's_ friends in attendance."

Dick winced and Barbara continued, "And you either have a very loose definition of 'close friends' or you're Mr. Popularity himself with all the Justice League, Titans, Outsiders, and Young Justice members you wanted to invite.

"And then there's me."

"Babs, what-?" She held up a hand to shush him.

"Between you, me, and Bruce, we've got the entire Justice League coming to the wedding and the reception after. Then there's Bruce's socialite friends, your family from the circus, and then the relatives and GCPD friends my dad and I share." Barbara heaved a sigh and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm afraid this is turning out to be the biggest event in Gotham for the next ten years and I don't even want to figure out how the seating arrangement will be."

The hands had stilled on her shoulders when she started talking about the guest list. And those same hands refused to return to their previous role as masseuse the longer Dick thought about the problem. Barbara gave another mental sigh at how cold her shoulders and upper back were feeling without the pressure of Dick's hands kneading them.

"There's...not a venue big enough to fit all of them, is there?" Dick murmured.

"We'll probably have to rent out the entire Knight's Dome for the wedding _and _reception." She answered glumly.

Dick's expression fell in dismay. "With how many times it's been raided, held hostage, played host to a supervillain? Bruce and I have been crawling through its vents for years," he grumbled, "we practically know all its shortcuts better than the janitors."

"Do you have a better idea?" she challenged.

Dick shook his head with a sigh but Barbara wasn't done.

She gave him a look and asked, "Were you planning on sneaking out of the wedding?"

"What? No! Of course not!" Dick sputtered with shock. "I was... Bruce and I... We..."

"Chill, Dick. I was just teasing."

Dick let out a sigh of relief. "Ease up, Babs. I'm as stressed by all this as you are."

Before she could answer, her monitors chimed with an incoming call alert. She smiled in exasperation and reached out to take the call. "It doesn't help that we've both been on-call even during our off-hours."

Thankfully, the call was a simple request for blueprints that didn't require sophisticated hacking to find. She was running an encryption to pass through a firewall when Dick's comms beeped, but she trusted him to tell her if it was an emergency or not.

It wasn't though; and for that she was doubly grateful.

"I have to go." Dick said, as he walked towards the window and slipped one leg over the ledge. "Dusty had another nightmare."

"Tell him good night for me," Barbara told him distractedly. The encryption was 85% done and the firewall would soon be reduced to kindling under the Oracle's prowess. She was so engrossed in her hacking that she never did hear if Dick gave a response back; and when she finally looked up, he was gone.

She sighed and wheeled herself to another of her monitors where Black Canary was busy fighting off a gang of two-bit thugs. Barbara watched the older woman for a few minutes before moving on to check on the reports of her other Birds of Prey. She didn't want to admit it, especially not while Dick was around, but the thought of their wedding - and what came after - still set her heart pounding with fear. There were so many things that could go wrong; being a superhero even on the sidelines attracted all sorts of trouble from all over the galaxy. Not to mention, any public event involving as many of the cape community could attend as possible was like putting up a beacon for every supervillain to come and crash the party. Still, a wedding between two superheroes - especially when one of them is a Bat - doesn't happen often enough so every hero would love to come and help with security if need be.

And therein lay the crux of the matter, because the truth of it was: Barbara didn't know if she could pull through with all the changes getting married would bring.

She'd grown up having a cop for a father and spent several years doing the same duties wearing a cape and cowl. She knew the drill of having to stand between the criminals and the innocents, the feeling of walking on the edge between doing what's right and what's wrong, and most of all, she grew up knowing that the world isn't all black and white but had so many layers of gray it was hard to distinguish between the two extremes.

Being a superhero often meant being the first in line to protect the civilians from danger. Being a non-powered superhero meant having to do that only with your wits. And being a non-powered superhero in Gotham meant having to face the most twisted morals in the entire universe of ethics. Gotham drove its children hard, and grew them fast.

Take for instance, her soon-to-be father-in-law. Batman had been driven hard by the trials and challenges Gotham threw at him and Bruce Wayne had to grow up too fast by an early tragedy. Thanks to Dick, the hard emotionless machine that Bruce had been was much softened and humanized. But Barbara still wasn't sure if she could live under the same roof with that man for the rest of her life.

She wasn't even sure if she could live under one roof with the boy she'd had an eye on for years.

It had been easy enough to put off the wedding several times before; return Dick's ring, break up with him, be so busy she didn't have time for social niceties. But she promised him this time, and she was tired of running; tired of running without fully realizing what she was really running from.

Her head gave a dull thump, tearing her away from her thinking. Her eyes were burning from being open for so long and she had to rub them a little to moisten them. A glance at the clock told her she'd been awake until almost sunrise. And she still hadn't figured out a solution to her venue problem...or the host of other decisions she needed to make before the wedding itself.

But her brain was feeling more sluggish the more hours she's awake so she reached out to power off most of her Oracle network, leaving only the more crucial ones that monitored for emergencies. Then she wheeled herself out of the room and got ready for bed.

Hopefully a good night's rest would bring out a good solution to her problem.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Not ours- Except Dusty. DC owns the rest.

Notes: Again, I'm basing this on local customs and what I can figure out from what I see of weddings in popular media.

Notes2: It's our first time to write some of the characters here and InvisibleBrunette and I hope that we got their personalities right. Any mistake is mostly mine orz.

kagome04: This one's the longest in the fic. Next up is the ceremony itself, so I hope you're looking forward to that ;)

* * *

Days passed, and then weeks, then months until Barbara found herself staring at the white dress in front of her. It was elegantly beautiful in its simple design: a tube dress with the bodice meticulously ironed to hug her body comfortably while subtle beading fell down one side to spray across the skirt. The veil flowed from the small tiara and also had the same beading theme sparkling in a spray pattern. She'd loved the dress the moment the designer presented it to her for a final fitting. Not only did it look stylish and graceful, the price tag didn't eat up a huge chunk of the wedding budget.

"I need you to tilt your head a little upwards...good, good...now a wistful expression, please," the photographer from the studio she hired crouched in awkward positions as he snapped several angles of what would be the basis for her 'wedding preparations' AV presentation. She normally wouldn't see the need for the AV presentations but Bruce insisted. It was apparently a growing trend for young couples who could afford the videos made and showcased the couple as they prepared for their day - and sometimes, even family members were shown as well in their most candid moments.

Barbara had given him a skeptical eyebrow and gracefully agreed. Deep down though, she'd hoped some of those candid moments might be worth a little blackmail or two.

Once the first photos were taken, Mary Sanchez gently helped her to a table right by the window where various cosmetics were displayed in a large kit. The morning sunlight was cheerfully warm as it touched her face and Barbara could almost imagine she was cuddling in Dick's warmth.

"Oh, I look so gorgeous!" Dinah squealed from behind her.

Barbara darted a glance at her best friend while keeping her face still as Sanchez dabbed at her face with a wet sponge. Dinah's make up was done in shades of dark blue and silver that made her blue eyes stand out, with a soft pink lipstick. Her skin looked flawless without appearing heavy with a slight hint of a red blush on her cheekbones. Golden blonde curls fell in waves to frame her face but she kept most of her hair pinned back.

Barbara smiled as much as she could while Sanchez dabbed foundation on her skin. "You look wonderful, Dinah."

"I do, don't I?" The older woman grinned and twirled around in her Minnie Mouse pajamas, showing off the sparkling silver and blue barette that held her hair.

"Don't go lookin' too gorgeous, darlin'," Zinda drawled as she came to stand beside the twirling Dinah. "Can't go outshinin' the blushin' bride!"

The pilot had her eyes lined heavier to bring out her light colored eyes, with a darker pink lipstick and eye shadow. Her light blonde hair was pulled back into a twist to fall in a mass of curls down her back.

"You look gorgeous too, Zinda," Barbara told the pilot. "And I'm sure Ms. Sanchez can do her job adequately."

"Confident, are we?" Helena's voice came from her left. "And how much are you paying her?"

Helena's hair was pulled back and twisted upwards. Pink and purple colored her eyelids, lined with black halfway then finished with pearl white. Her flashing blue eyes were challenging but her dark pink lips were curled upwards in a smirk.

Barbara answered her with a smirk of her own. "A lot less than you'd expect. Ms. Sanchez is modest about her skills."

The makeup artist blushed and turned to her kit to keep from directly meeting Barbara's eyes. "You flatter me too much, Ms. Gordon."

"Hey," Barbara grinned, "I wouldn't book your services if I didn't like what you can do."

Sanchez turned back with a pleasant smile and a peach color on her flat round-headed brush. "Then I thank you, Ms. Gordon. Now close your eyes, please."

Barbara followed the makeup artist's directions obediently; looking up and closing her eyes as bid. The other three were busy chattering and putting on their dresses, sometimes even directing the photographer to take shots of them. They all sounded so happy...

...except for her. She clenched her fist but kept her face calm.

In a few hours, she'll be going down a carpeted aisle, escorted by the man she considered her father, trailing a long white fabric, and stop right beside the man she'd had a childhood crush on once upon a time.

The same man she'll tie herself to for the rest of her days.

It wasn't that she didn't love Dick - it was very much the opposite! - and it wasn't that they couldn't support each other financially...or emotionally. She and Dick had been each other's crying post for years, each other's excuse, and each other's sparring partner. They grew up together, fought crime together, bled together. If you ask about history, they got it in spades. And if you ask about their love for the other, well, the answer would be: a whole lot more. They'd broken up and made up and seen other people so many times but they'd always gotten back together in the end.

But is that enough? Is she really ready to enter into marriage, to commit herself to one man?

In all the preparations and bookings for the wedding, Barbara hadn't had time to really think about what she was about to do. Her life had gone through a huge change when she opened the door all those years ago. And in a few hours, her life was about to go through another major change - a change that she barely had a guidebook for.

"You'll do fine, honey," Dinah spoke softly in her ear, startling her from her thoughts. The older woman had already gotten into her robin's egg blue dress and was now bent close so she could talk to Barbara without the others hearing. "You've both been waiting years for this to happen. Isn't it about time to take life by the balls and jump in?"

Barbara laughed and aimed a gentle slap on Dinah's arm. "I think you're mixing your idioms."

"Idioms shmidioms. What's important is you get my point."

"True." She closed her eyes as Sanchez dabbed eye shadow at the outer corners of her lids. Warmth to her left told her that Dinah was still leaning over her and she opened her mouth to remind the older woman to accessorize when there was a tentative knocking to her door.

"Aunt Barbara...?" Dusty's trembling voice could be heard despite the chattering of the other women.

Speaking of changes coming to her life, Dusty represented the bigger half of it. A few years ago, Dick had gotten one of his 'flings' pregnant; with Dusty as the result. And while Dick had already taken majority of the hardships in being a first time parent, Barbara still felt dubious on whether she could raise this little boy into a grown man. Sure, she and Dick will have friends and a large support network to help but... But she'll be the one living in the same house with him; she'll see him 24 hours a day (well, whenever he's not in school), she'll represent him during parent-teacher conferences (she could probably count on Dick going along with her if there's nothing happening), and she'll be the first one he goes to when he has a problem he can't fix (okay, she'll probably be second to Dick).

Really, what does she know about raising a very young boy she would soon be calling her own?

"Barbara?" Dinah's voice jolted her out of her musings and she realized everyone was waiting for her to say something.

"We're all decent, right?" she took a quick glance around to make sure that yes, all the ladies were dressed, and then nodded to Helena. "Let him in so we can find out what's wrong with the little munchkin."

The moment little Dusty came sniffling into the room in his tailored suit, all the ladies froze.

The sudden silence brought the boy's head up in confusion as he called, "Aunt Barbara?"

"Oh, he's so adorable!" Dinah squealed and immediately went to crouch in front of the boy. "Hi there, sweetie."

Dusty frowned at her for a moment before his face brightened into a grin, his earlier tears forgotten. "Hi, Aunt Dinah."

Dinah gasped. "You know me!"

"Daddy told me." Dusty explained, nodding. He turned and pointed out the rest of the Birds of Prey. "Aunt Helena. Aunt Zinda. And...Aunt Barbara!" The last one he nearly shouted as he ran for Barbara.

When he reached her, his blue eyes were bright with tears. "Aunt Barbara! I lost the rings!"

Barbara blinked. "The what?"

"The rings!" Dusty was almost wailing now. "T-the rings I-I'm supposed to c-carry! I lost 'em!"

It took her a second to realize the boy was talking about the wedding rings - the same rings that were so important, they had a specific role in the wedding a couple of hours from now. Barbara's mind immediately snapped to clarity. "Calm down, munchkin," she soothed the boy, then turned to her Birds. "Helena, Zinda, Dinah..."

But the woman who was Black Canary shook her head. "Sorry, honey, but I've got Matron of the Bride duties to do."

Barbara nodded in acceptance. "Alright. Zinda, Helena, go with Dusty and see if you can help him find the rings."

"You got it, boss," Zinda gave a salute before she left with Helena ushering the boy ahead of her. The moment the three of them left the room, Dinah rounded on her.

"So, tell me honestly how you feel," the older woman demanded.

The makeup artist had already finished with Barbara's makeup and was now busy packing up while Dinah leaned over Barbara to keep their conversation as private as she could - despite having two strangers in the same room that is. One of the photographers had followed the other ladies in the hopes that he could take a few more memorable pictures. But the lack of privacy wouldn't stop Dinah when she got it into her head that something's wrong.

"I'm alright, Dinah," Barbara tried to wave off her best friend's concern but a glance at the older woman's face said that she didn't buy it. "Really."

"Yeah right. You haven't spoken a word even when Helena and Zinda were discussing the B-man." Dinah pointed out with a skeptical tilt of her eyebrows. "Not to mention you didn't even react when the discussion went to certain _ass-_pects of Mr. Husband-to-be."

"Dinah!" Barbara whirled on the older woman, horrified. "In front of the photographers?"

"They were being helpful and making sure that they get shots of the best _asset _in the community."

"They didn't-!" Barbara began but stopped and glared at the upturned corner of Dinah's mouth. Realizing that the latter was just teasing, she aimed a slap at the older woman's upper arm. "Of course they didn't! You troll, you!"

But Dinah moved quickly to avoid the incoming slap. The resulting breeze from Barbara's hand ruffled her golden curls as the older woman laughed, "Your face! I couldn't help it!"

Barbara huffed. "Fine. Keep laughing at the nervous bride."

"Oh, honey, you don't have to be so scared." Dinah leaned close again so she could speak softly in Barbara's ear, "Listen to me and remember one thing: you and Dick are _lucky _to have each other."

But her reassurances fell on deaf ears as Barbara sighed. "Yeah, lucky." Whatever the older woman meant by 'lucky' - that she got her hooks into one of the most eligible bachelors in Gotham, or that she had a chance at a happily ever after with the love of her life - she wasn't feeling it.

"You're not listening!" Dinah moved so she was kneeling in front of Barbara, the skirt of her dress fluttering to spread out around her. "You and Dick, you grew up together. Then you went your separate ways, met other people, but you came back together in the end and that's the best kind of love."

"What kind? The one that leaves when things start going downhill?"

"No, silly!" The older woman reached out to pat one of Barbara's hands. "The one that grows stronger in spite of your past hurts. When you separated, it was to explore yourselves; to find your place in the world. Oh sure you met all kinds of people and fell in love with them but you still ended up with your first love - the one you'll never forget." She smiled impishly. "Didn't they say when you love someone, set them free; if they come back, they're yours forever?"

"I didn't know you were a romantic, Dinah," Barbara said with a snort.

"I can be a closet romance fan. You know the job can get bad enough to give therapists an ulcer."

Barbara had to raise a disbelieving eyebrow at that. True, what Dinah said about 'the job' was as truthful as saying the sky is blue. The Justice League, its affiliates, and every hero out there knew it; as they stand to be the first and last line of defense between the innocent and disaster. Every single hero had been beaten down and dragged through the mud at some point in their lives - no matter if that hero was a powerful alien or a determined father looking to save his children. No one was exempt.

But the other thing?

"So I lied about being a romance fan." Dinah shrugged, catching the skeptical look. "Doesn't make what I said any less true."

Barbara opened her mouth to say something witty but the knock at the door interrupted her.

"Did we...miss something?" Helena came through the door, eyeing the two of them as though they were about to spring a surprise on her. Barbara inwardly sighed as she realized how suspicious it looked to the other Birds, with Dinah bent close to her and both their expressions serious. She was willing to bet Helena had thought a problem came up and they were figuring out how to fix it.

Barbara shook her head and mustered a smile at her returning Birds, noting that Dusty hadn't returned with them.

"Did you find the rings?" She asked casually.

"Sure," Helena answered, "It wasn't hard. Someone just forgot to put them back in the box. But we spotted them almost immediately."

"And Dusty?"

"The munchkin went back to his pappy." Zinda reported, perching on one of the couch arms.

"His _very _nervous pappy," added Helena. Her shoulders had relaxed at the sight of Barbara's smile and now a corner of her lips curved upwards in a smirk.

"Helena..." Barbara said in a warning tone. "What did you say to him?"

Barbara knew of the brief fling the other woman had with her husband-to-be. She'd also known of the other brief flings Dick had had over the years. But with their upcoming wedding, both she and Dick promised each other that they would be past any feelings of jealousy - thanks to their lifelong training in the cape community, they were both built loyal and wouldn't think to cheat on the other. (That thing that happened on the eve of Dick's wedding to Kory was both a fluke and a mistake on both their parts. Dick should have stopped it sooner, and Barbara shouldn't have taken advantage.)

And she's not going to think about that right on her wedding day.

Helena's smirk turned impish. "Oh, I just mentioned something about speeches and wedding vows..." she grinned wider, "and how his tie looked like a tornado chewed it up and spat it out."

"Oh boy," Barbara groaned. "How many times did he have to ask Alfred to redo it?"

"Fourteen." Zinda chirped in answer. "Half were because he picked on it too much. The other half-"

"-were because of his brothers and his best friends, I'll bet." Barbara finished for her.

"The little munchkins ain't helping neither."

"Damian had pretty much given up on making all of them behave." Helena added with a laugh. "And _your _munchkin was the most rambunctious of the lot. That kid'll grow up a troublemaker."

"Dusty takes after his father that way," Barbara agreed.

Just then, the wedding planner and a few assistants came up, ready to help them for final pictures before directing them to the Church. The photographers similarly stepped in and said they were ready to take photos of Barbara in her weddi- _in her white dress. _They wanted to take photos of her in her white dress. Maybe if she kept thinking that this wasn't her wedding, she wouldn't be thinking about how she would be tying herself to one man for the rest of her life in just a few hours.

The photographers took pictures of her running her hands down the skirt of the dress, then Dinah helped her change into it. She also helped the wedding planner pin the veil onto the curls on her head before they flared out the fabric so it covered her and her entire wheelchair. And soon, Dinah was pushing her through the hallway with her Birds flanking her and the photographers scattering ahead and behind to take more shots. The wedding planner and her assistants as well as Ms. Sanchez took up the rear.

Altogether, they made a glamorous parade for the hotel lobby and to the car that would take Barbara to the Church - and to her love.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Not ours- Except Dusty. DC owns the rest.

Disclaimer 2: None of the songs mentioned are ours either. They belong to their respective artists. Song choices came from '13 Alternative Processional Songs for the Bride's Entrance'.

Notes: What happens when you put InvisibleBrunette and Bluejay on a joint-writing project? Cheeeeessse. In the meantime, I recommend listening to Hopipolla. It's really moving. The mash-up of 'Hopipolla' and 'Longing to Belong' doesn't exist, but I sure would like to hear those songs together.

Notes2: The artwork for this fic is actually a lineart I found made by Drew Johnson on Deviantart that I colored. You can find it at: .com (slash) art (slash) Happy-Ending-color-work-197104002 [Or, you can just look for my DA account name: sillue and search through my gallery for 'Happy Ending-color work']

1Superman4Me: Well, I hope you like the rest of the fic too :)

Guest: Unfortunately, this entire fic is all gen, no battle scenes or crises to happen. I tried entertaining the idea of having the event crashed by a villain but couldn't stand all the death-glares the entire Batfamily gave me (even Alfred gave me one! T_T )

* * *

Wedding guests mingled in their suits and gowns, filling the air with chatter. They each broke off their conversations to give the groom their congratulations when he arrived with his family - the head of the family had to graciously accept a few congratulations as well from several of the more glitzy guests. Only the alert eyes of the second youngest of the family - Damian wouldn't tolerate any detail being less than perfect for his favorite brother - caught each wince from Bruce Wayne as though he was saying 'Congratulate my son, not me. _I'm_ not the one getting married.'

But when the groom's party had arrived, it didn't take long before the wedding planners hurried through the large crowds to ask everyone to take their seats. Two of the planners quickly gathered the entourage into two lines by the Church's front doors, the males on one side and the females on the other. Then either planner stood by the front of the lines, ready to guide the entourage as to their entrance cues.

A minute later as soon as everyone had settled, piano keys sounded over the speakers, playing the starting notes of Sigur Ros' _Hopipolla_.

One of Barbara's young cousins confidently strode down the aisle, her basket of rose petals swinging beside her. She scattered petals all over the Church's rich red carpet, grinning widely all the while.

The piano changed to a higher pitch and was joined by several string instruments and a synthesizer in a rousing melody.

Next in line came Dusty, carrying a velvet pillow with the rings perched on top. The small diamonds in the rings sparkled even from far away and Dusty bore the precious things in all seriousness.

The song rose with more instruments, including drums, joining in. A small choir of voices started singing. While the language was mostly Icelandic and majority of the guests wouldn't understand the lyrics, everyone agreed that it was a stirring song to listen to.

After Dusty, Garth and Zinda walked towards the altar, their postures stiff and formal, followed by Roy and Helena who were not-so-subtly darting evil looks at the other once in a while.

Still in Icelandic, the choir sang powerfully, their voice carrying throughout the Church.

Next in the procession was the Matron of honor, Dinah, and the Best man, Wally, walking arm-in-arm, and grinning like fools.

Once the bridesmaids and groomsmen were lined up, all eyes turned to the elegant double doors at the back of the church. The song fell, instruments becoming silent until it was only the piano again with the choir becoming a single voice dropping into a murmur. Then the starting strings of Eddie Vedder's _Longing to Belong_ joined the song.

_'I'm falling harder than I've ever fell before...'_

The Church doors opened as the song started building up again.

Other instruments took up the _Hopipolla_ with the choir joining in, reaching a crescendo as the afternoon sunlight shone into the Church.

And there sat Barbara in her wedding dress, her veil falling softly down to just above her ankles. Her father, Jim Gordon, stood behind her looking dashing and formal in a suit and tie instead of his much favored trench coat. He gently pushed her wheelchair down the aisle, his gait steady though his eyes looked a little red-rimmed.

The _Hopipolla _continued on, its melody blending with the voice that sang in a triumphant,

_' 'cause all my time is spent here longing to belong to you.'_

The bride and her father continued on amidst the occasional flash of a camera. Wedding photographers discreetly rushed to take the best angled shots of the two of them. When they were nearly to the altar, some of the guests turned their attention forwards to where the groom stood waiting with his family behind him. And the groom was looking mightily floored. His blue eyes were dazed and he had the goofiest grin anyone had ever seen as he watched his beautiful bride approach.

_'And when the time is right, I hope that you'll respond...'_ The voice descended into a softer, crooning tone.

Jim exchanged handshakes with Dick first, before Bruce Wayne stepped forward to shake hands with him as well. Then Dick took Barbara's hands as both fathers gently guided the wheelchair to a spot before the altar and Dick took his place beside Barbara.

_'I may be dreaming but I'm longing to belong to you.'_

The priest smiled at the couple presented to him as the last notes of the music fell away. Then he raised his arms and began, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony..."

The ceremony was short and though both Dick and Barbara were lapsed Catholics, they still remembered the proper responses and listened attentively to the priest's homily. The Church choir took up the songs for the service in a beautiful blend of voices that echoed through the Church.

Finally, the priest announced, "You may now kiss the bride."

And Dick was lifting the veil from Barbara's face. Her face was turned up towards him in anticipation as he leaned in. She saw a brief flash of his mischievous smile and then he was bending down to pick her up from her chair; dress, veil, flowers, and all.

"Dick, what are you-"

"I've been waiting years for this," he was smiling _that smile _at her, the one that had her heart skip a beat. Her face was still turned up towards him despite the now shorter distance between them. And for him, it was a simple matter of leaning close and giving her a kiss that she swore she felt all the way to her paralyzed toes.

It was just him and her in that moment; his blue eyes, his bright smile. Her cheeks were burning from her smiling so much. Laughter wanted to bubble up out of her mouth. She knew he was holding her in his arms but at that moment, she felt weightless and floating. It was a moment she'll treasure forever.

But the world refused to be ignored. The cheers and applause started out faint but gradually grew in volume when Barbara started to realize they weren't alone. Still, she found that she couldn't erase the smile from her face because the ceremony was done. She was married. And her new husband was carrying her in his arms, ready to start a new family. Together.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Not ours- Except Dusty. DC owns the rest.

Notes: Well, a wedding isn't complete without the reception :D It's time to wind down, and while InvisibleBrunette and I haven't any ideas or inspirations for a sequel as of this moment, we're pretty much open to making one. Maybe in a few months :)

kagome04: Didn't I tell ya there's a bit of sweetness here? ;)

* * *

Wayne Manor rarely saw such a mixed gathering of guests in their entire splendor. Even though they'd scratched out some of their guests from the list - not everyone on the list could come, to Barbara's secret relief - so they could use the Manor as a reception venue, it still felt like everyone who was anyone did come. Barbara leaned back in her chair and let her new husband push her towards the ballroom. Dick's hand dropped to her shoulder and she reached up to give him an encouraging squeeze.

"Ready for this?" He asked as he stopped just before rounding the corner where the ballroom was.

She tilted her head back and gave him an answering smile. "We spent months planning this. I'm ready."

He had that smile again, and just before he started pushing her again, she caught a telltale flash of light that meant one of the photographers took a shot of the moment. And rather than feeling irritable that the moment was broken, she felt approval in knowing that the photographers were taking advantage of every sweet moment between her and Dick. She was sure their wedding album will be filled with photos of those moments, cementing an already memorable occasion into their memories.

"Here we go," Dick said softly as they rounded the corner.

Alfred and the wedding planner greeted them by the closed double doors of the ballroom. The wedding planner gave them a bright smile as she shifted to one side of the doors. Alfred on the other hand, gave them a pleased nod as they approached.

"You're going to announce us?" Dick asked tentatively, pausing in his stride.

"Nonsense, Master Dick," Alfred scoffed, never moving from his guarding stance by the doors. "This is the modern age, not medieval times. I am merely staying put until you give the word that you are ready to face the throng." Then his shoulders relaxed as he smiled at them. "And may I just say young sir; you have made this old man very happy today."

"Alfred, don't," Barbara managed to choke out. Her throat had started to close and she had to think about lines and lines of code just to keep her tears at bay. "I don't want to smudge my makeup."

"Now I know how the Commish feels," Dick muttered.

"As the young masters wish," Alfred replied, "I will give you a moment to compose yourselves."

Dick's hand brushed across the back of Barbara's neck and she turned her head up to see how he was holding up. His eyes were as red-rimmed as her father's but he was still smiling goofily. Then the wedding planner ran up to dab at his eyes with a handkerchief.

"Ready?" the woman asked, glancing at both of them as if to assess for herself how ready they were.

"As we'll ever be." Dick declared.

The wedding planner stepped away. Alfred nodded before he sharply spun on his heel and opened the doors with both arms. Then he gracefully stepped to one side and bowed deeply with one arm outstretched to present the room to the newlyweds.

"That's the actor in you, isn't it, Alfie?" Dick joked as he pushed Barbara into the ballroom. The photographers snapped away using whatever angles they deemed looked beautiful.

"Of course, young sir," the elderly butler straightened with similar grace, making it seem as though he never suffered from arthritis or that his joints were already stiffening up with age. Until now, Barbara was still amazed at how spry the man still was despite his advanced years. "Nothing should be less than perfect on this day," he finished with conviction.

When Barbara finally turned to face the crowded ballroom, the first thing she saw was the bright chandelier and the yards of white cloth spreading outwards. Then she spotted the tons of centerpieces and vase stands carrying all sorts of spring flowers - both in their natural hues and several sporting dyes in her color motif. But most striking of all was the sight of everyone they knew standing by their chairs, clapping and cheering in a muted yellow light as though they were standing underneath the late afternoon sun.

Barbara could feel her cheeks heat up as Dick pushed her towards the center, right where she specifically placed the presidential table; she'd insisted on doing away with the elevated platform and opting for a round table for her, Dick, Bruce, her father, as well as the three pairs of principal sponsors who served as witnesses to the wedding: Clark, Chief Akins, Lucius, Leslie, Selina, and Montoya. Dick could probably handle being in the spotlight for the entire dinner but she, on the other hand, preferred to be surrounded by good company as she ate.

And now everyone was watching in anticipation as Dick crossed half of the ballroom...

...and stepped right on a separated section that served as a dance floor.

"Dick, we don't have to do this," Barbara hedged as Dick stopped her wheelchair and went around facing her. "I can't expect you to-"

"Shh, Babs," He bent down to grab her hands and squeezed them; "I got this. Trust me."

She stared into his bright blue eyes and tried to let go her of her sudden nerves in a sigh. "Alright, Hunk Wonder. I trust you."

He beamed at her and lifted her by her armpits. Then he stepped backwards as one arm supported her waist and the other twined in her hand. The speakers came alive with lilting music as Dick gently held her in a Viennese Waltz.

"Dick, you're not going to drop me, are you?" she trusted him, of course, but she still had to ask. There was that glint of something in her new husband's eye that pinged on her inner alarm bells. She'd learned over the years to always anticipate anything whenever she saw that glint.

"I won't drop you," Dick answered, spinning her in a small circle, "I promise. I got Zatanna to cast a little charm to make sure of it too."

"What kind of charm?"

"The kind that won't let you fall as long as I'm holding you like this."

She stared at the happy grin on his face, completely at a loss for words. She'd spent months checking and rechecking the services she'd hired for the wedding while he'd taken care of the food and invites; and even used his considerable charm to make sure every little detail is perfect - right down to their first dance as a married couple.

When it started, Barbara thought she was hearing bells jingling somewhere. But as it grew in volume, she realized it was the clinking of glasses - hundreds of glasses. She glanced around and saw that everyone had taken their seats and were merrily tapping their utensils against their wineglasses.

"Kiss! Kiss!" she thought she heard Roy shout in demand, but the call was quickly followed by others so she couldn't distinguish the voices.

And Dick was leaning down towards her. "Should we give them what they're asking for?"

She smiled and nodded. "Let's."

And they leaned close to share what would be the first of several kisses for the night.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Not ours- Except Dusty. DC owns the rest.

Disclaimer 2: None of the songs mentioned are ours either. They belong to their respective artists. Song choices came from Charlene Edwards.

Notes : What's this? A bonus sort-of epilogue! Did anyone notice I haven't changed the fic status from 'In Progress' to 'Complete' when I posted yesterday? ;D This part's dedicated to Charlene Edwards and all you Elvis fans out there :D Yes, I've read P.N. Elrod's anthology that featured something similar but I made sure to add my own spin to the plot. And yes, Bluejay can't help but add the funny.

Notes2: InvisibleBrunette and I hope that we don't offend any fans of Elvis out there with our (mostly Bluejay's) mistakes. Orz.

droff28: Surprise! It's the real final chapter! :D Actually, the reception part was getting pretty long so I decided to split it.

AJCrane: Well, you sorta got what you thought was gonna happen in this chapter ;)

* * *

After the brief dance, Dick brought her back to her chair and then wheeled her to the presidential table. A string quartet situated in a small balcony over the ballroom began playing soft love songs as wait-staff began to serve the food. A buffet-style set up was the usual choice for receptions but Barbara didn't want to bring special attention to her...situation so she and Dick opted for a lauriat style with the food served on lazy susans for each table. Dick, raised as a gentleman that he is, served Barbara first before himself.

They spent the next hour or so talking about inconsequential things; Bruce acted mostly like himself for once, but he'd somehow toned down his own intensity. Chief Akins had been too awkward and formal at first, but a teasing comment from Barbara's father quickly loosened him. As for Jim Gordon, why, Barbara had seldom seen him act so casual and happy. This must be a night of miracles.

Something small and restless quickly insinuated itself between her and Dick.

"Hey, kiddo," Dick said, picking it up to sit on his lap, "Something up?"

"Just the chan'lier, Daddy," Dusty answered before turning curious eyes to Barbara. "Aunt Barbara, can I call you 'Mommy' now?"

Barbara blinked and set down the glass of wine she'd been sipping. True, she'd expected something like this to happen but she hadn't expected it to come this soon! And yet those innocent blue eyes kept staring at her, waiting. She inwardly sighed and said, "Not yet, munchkin. It's too early yet. How about tomorrow?"

Dusty's face fell and Barbara immediately felt all sorts of cruel when the boy dejectedly climbed down from his father's lap.

"Hey now," Dick grabbed the boy's shoulders to keep him from leaving, "Barbara's right. Isn't it a little too early to be calling her that?"

But Dusty only shook his head, his gaze on the carpeted floor. "I just want a Mommy."

Barbara's heart broke. She'd lost her own mother from a car accident years ago, but she was lucky in that her uncle - now her father - had been willing and capable of raising her. She couldn't ask for a better or more patient father than Jim Gordon, especially during those times when she wanted to have a mother to talk to. And it was this last thought that told her she couldn't begrudge a child the chance to have a mother.

She leaned over and brushed a hand over Dusty's hair. He looked up at her as she cupped his little face and she said, "Alright, munchkin, I'll be your Mommy. And you'll be my little boy; mine and Dick's."

Dusty's face brightened and he leaped up to hug her around her neck. "I love you, Mommy!" he declared, before turning around and doing the same to his father. "Love you, Daddy!"

"Love you too, kiddo." Dick answered with a chuckle. "Go on now, so you can play with your new friends."

"Okay!" And Dusty scampered off, probably excited to tell his friends about his new Mommy.

Barbara watched him until he was swallowed up by the crowd of tables. When she turned back around, she spotted Bruce watching her.

"Let me give you a piece of advice," he said without a hint of mischief, "those puppy eyes are deadly weapons in the hands of a Grayson."

"Bruce!" Dick glared at his father as the rest of the table laughed.

"I second that!" Clark agreed, earning himself a similar glare from Dick.

"I didn't think you'd be susceptible to Dick's charms," Barbara teased the reporter. Being Superman, she would have bet he'd be subjected to a lot of puppy eyes from his adoring fans, thereby making him immune to one particular set. Apparently, she was wrong.

"If you think his puppy eyes are deadly _now_," Clark smiled indulgently at Dick, "it was twice _that _when he was young and small."

"And _very _adorable." Selina added with a hint of a purr.

"And very much the charmer, too." Leslie agreed. "All it took was one smile..." the doctor shot the groom an affectionate look. "And he had even the most cold-hearted person wrapped around his little finger. I swear those peepers of his have some kind of hypnotic power!"

"I'm right here, you know," Dick protested, his face as red as a tomato.

"You should see him those days when Bruce brought him to work." Lucius spoke up. "Big blue eyes, tiny tux, and practically _swimming _in Bruce's chair."

"Barb wasn't any different," Barbara's father chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye. "I remember her looking so serious while reading the night shift roster."

"Didn't she spend ten minutes trying to pronounce some of the names?" Akins asked, trying to recall that night. Barbara remembered some of the cops had been passing by the Captain's office and looking in at her, but she didn't pay them attention in favor of reading the list.

"She had trouble with Lautner." Jim grinned.

"I was four," Barbara pointed out with a glare at her father, "And I had barely got the hang of reading."

Bruce, however, was concerned. "Four, Jim? Wasn't she a little young to be in a precinct then?"

Her father sighed and gave a reluctant smile. "There was no one else to watch her that night and I volunteered since I had the night off - or so I thought. She'd barely settled in my couch to watch cartoons when a gang war broke out and I got called in to help." Then his smile turned fond as he glanced at Barbara. "The Captain was a good friend of mine, and he cleared his desk of any files inappropriate for young eyes to see then told me to leave her in the office. It was one of the most worrisome nights of my life."

Whatever conversation they had was shelved when the tapping of a butter knife on a wine glass echoed throughout the banquet hall, drawing all eyes to the Best Man. He had an ear-wide grin only for Dick and Barbara as he held the microphone - and a not-so-subtly-hidden piece of paper in his left hand. He was about to speak into the mic when a flying butter knife bounced off his left wrist, making the Best Man drop the paper.

"Hey! Who did that-" He looked up and glared at a red-haired guy in another table. "Roy! That was my _speech_."

"You'll do better without it!" came the counterargument. The archer's roguish grin didn't even falter when Donna Troy, who was seated beside him, smacked him upside the head.

Wally glared a moment more before turning back to Dick and Barbara, looking a tad nervous but willing to carry on. "Well, for starters and I'm sure everyone here will agree with me when I say, Dick, Barb, it's about time." Wally grinned, earning many chuckles and eyerolls. "I've known Dick since he was an itty bitty little thing with a questionable taste in clothing." Several former teammates burst out laughing; Roy in particular, was laughing and slapping his table while giving a thumb's up to Dick.

"And I've got to say," Wally reached up to scratch the back of his neck, "That I have been honored to see the man he's grown into as a friend, and as a brother. I honestly can't tell you how glad I am that you've found the same kind of happiness that I have with my wife.

"Marriage is interesting. It's a huge, majorly humongous adjustment. You'll butt heads, you'll make up, and you'll discover that saying, 'Yes dear, you're right.' will save your bacon on countless occasions." This drew out several more laughs, most particularly from the older married men. "It's like nothing you've ever faced - and I know you've faced a lot - but at the end of the day, you'll always have each other to lean on during the trials and tribulations in life. Believe me; you'll need each other when Dusty and whatever other kids you'll have hit their teens!" Wally carried on as if he didn't notice the pointed glares from his twins burning holes through him.

"Congratulations Dick and Barbara, and may you always have each other to face the changes in your lives."

Through the applause, Dick mouthed a 'Thanks dude!' to Wally as the Best Man returned to his seat.

When most of the guests had finished eating, the string quartet turned the entertainment over to a smallish band; violins were exchanged for guitars, the cello switched with a set of drums. The shift went without notice and Barbara approved of the performers' stealth. She'd planned to have this surprise as quiet as possible so her very observant husband wouldn't have any hint at all.

"Something informal coming up?" Bruce asked her, and she corrected herself mentally that her new husband wasn't the only observant one in the family.

"Something like that." She replied with a nod.

The lights dimmed a little to bring attention to the spotlight as it swept through the seated crowd. Scattered conversations were dropped as everyone glanced up, wondering what was going to happen next. Then the spotlight stopped in the middle of a crowd of busy servers. The guitars struck up a familiar tune. As if on cue, each server went their separate ways to reveal...

_"If you're looking for trouble,"_ a _very _familiar voice sang, _"You came to the right place."_

It was _the voice_. And _the hair. _Right down to the half-flashy, half-conservative outfit that somehow looked really good on the man. Even though Barbara had done her research into this man that she'd hired, she was still quite impressed - moreso her new husband.

Dick grabbed Barbara's hand, excitement in his eyes. "Elvis! You hired Elvis for our reception?"

"He's not the original," Barbara smiled into his blue eyes, "but he's probably the best impersonator this side of Graceland."

"I love you!" He grabbed her in a rib-crushing hug as the Elvis impersonator made his way to the stage, singing by every table he passed. _"If you're looking for trouble, just look right in my face."_

The ladies at each table he sang to squealed in delight.

Barbara knew he was just an impersonator; the real Elvis was long gone, but with the way the ladies screamed and how delighted the older guests looked, it was almost as if the man had come back to life to grace her wedding reception. The hip thrusts, the confident grin; they felt so real and personal it was like the impersonator had invented them. Barbara could spot several of the younger generation looking amazed with their wide eyes and opened mouths - they were probably realizing what their parents and grandparents had seen in the legend and were now wishing they'd seen him live.

When the first song finished, the impersonator began speaking directly to Dick and Barbara, "Now, I don't know the newlyweds personally, but I've had my folks talk to folks here and this is what I've been hearing about the love you've got for each other."

The band began playing a catchy beat and he launched into: _"You light my morning sky, With Burning Love."_

Guests were nodding their heads or tapping their fingers to the beat. Barbara could feel herself tapping along as Dick started lip-synching - it was amusing to know that Dick had practically memorized every Elvis song there ever was.

And when the second song finished, the impersonator paused again in his performance as he announced, "This next one's for the bride and groom; when a girl looks as beautiful as your bride does, Richard, I know you just can't help it. You just can't help but fall in love with her even though,

_Wise men say, only fools rush in_."

It started as mild tingles in her lower spine, but the tingles quickly grew into...

"Babs?" Dick's concerned voice broke through her discomfort. "You alright?"

"Yes, Dick, I'm-" she froze the tingles spread to her thighs, then down to her calves.

"Babs?"

"I..." She stared into his bright blue eyes and suddenly, everything else fell away. It was just her and him; and she felt somehow distant from her own self as they both reached for each other's hands.

_"But I can't help, falling in love with you."_

He drew her up out of the chair and she stood..._she stood_ on her feet. Amazement filled her but it felt far away as she and Dick took a few steps away from their table. Dick's hand went around her waist again and he twined the fingers of his other hand with one of hers. She laid her free hand on his shoulder and they danced.

_"Take my hand, take my whole life too."_

For a decade she'd missed walking, missed dancing, and now it was as if that decade had never happened as she stepped and spun. Dick's arms didn't have to support her weight - not when her own legs could. And she didn't have to keep standing on his feet so he could carry her. For that one dance, she wasn't some dead weight Dick had to lift; she wasn't a warm, flexible prop for him to twirl around. She was a person, _his dance partner_, and she danced like she'd always did with someone she loved: slowly and with her heart filled to bursting.

_"'Cause I can't help, falling in love with you."_

It felt like she was floating. And Dick was staring at her like she just did the most amazing stunt in the entire universe. And...

Hey, she was _dancing._ It _is _the most amazing stunt in the entire history of the universe.

All too soon, the song ended and the world didn't really come back as much as she remembered that she wasn't alone with Dick. She stumbled and would've fallen if Dick hadn't caught her.

"Babs!"

"I-I'm alright. Just..." _dazed _and _confused _and _I don't know what in the world happened_ quickly came to mind but she didn't voice them out loud.

"I'll take you back to your chair," Dick scooped her up and sped through the shocked murmurs. Her legs were trembling and she couldn't seem to stop her heartbeat from going so fast. By the time she felt the familiar confines of her chair at her back, her dad and Bruce were standing over her and asking about what happened.

"Leslie, could you-" Bruce began but Barbara waved him off.

"No, no, I'm fine. I just...need a break, that's all."

Her new father-in-law turned concerned eyes to his son. "And Dick?"

"We're both fine," Dick kept his hands protectively around Barbara's shoulders and she leaned into his hold as she tried to get her breath back. "And Bruce? Remember how I'd sometimes get a gut feeling on whether some magics are good and some are bad?"

Bruce nodded cautiously.

"This felt like one of the former."

"Hm."

"You sure you're okay, Barb?" Her dad took one of her hands. "Is anything hurting?"

She shook her head 'no' as Bruce declared, "We'll need to check to make sure-"

"No, I'm okay, Bruce," she looked up to meet his blue eyes directly. "Really."

The older man sighed and relented. "Alright." Then his blue eyes turned steely as if to say, 'But I'll still have things checked out just to make sure.'

"I'm sorry to interrupt, folks," the smooth tone that was the Elvis voice had been replaced by a soft voice, "Is everything alright?"

Barbara turned around to see the Elvis impersonator standing beside them, looking both concerned and nervous.

"We're fine, Mr. Carter," she reassured him with a smile, but it didn't lessen the man's nervousness.

"Listen, I-I'm sorry about what happened. It's just-"

"So you had something to do with it?" Bruce was suddenly looming over the impersonator, his voice cold as ice.

To his credit, Carter only flinched as he explained, "It wasn't intentional, Mr. Wayne. It's just..." The man shook his head sadly. "Every wedding reception I've been to ever since I started impersonating Elvis, something always happens. Something...weird but not really bad, you know?"

"No, I don't, Mr. Carter," Barbara kept her emotions out of her tone. The man's sincerity let her give him the benefit of the doubt but his nervousness said something else. If the man had done something that could sabotage her reception...

"It was just...weird, really. Like there was this one wedding and the couple couldn't stand each other but their parents, you know, thought they'd be a good couple and they were too scared to disappoint them. So I sang to them, 'cause that's what they paid me for, you know? And I sang '_Love Me Tonight_' to get the romance going." Carter shrugged helplessly. "And suddenly, they were acting all sweet on each other, like they'd never fought even once, you know?"

"Maybe they had a change of heart." Barbara speculated.

"I thought so too, at first. And then there was this one time, her grandma had a heart condition and she wasn't allowed to dance. And it turns out her favorite was '_Hound Dog_' and when I sang it, she was dancing and jiving like the best of 'em! She said she'd never felt so young in so long." The wistful expression on Carter's face faded as he admitted, " 'Course her heart gave out a couple of days after. The wife was devastated. But her grandma..."

Carter gave a helpless shrug. "She just wanted to dance, you know? She just wanted to dance."

"So you're saying," Barbara's father stepped up, a speculative tone in his voice, "that whenever you perform, something miraculous always happens."

Carter ducked his head in embarrassment and he shrugged again. "Well, not really all the time. Just when I'm doing a wedding reception and when I'm performing Elvis. It's why I decided to go Elvis full-time, you know? 'Cause I figure, people could do with a miracle once in a while."

"You can say that again." Jim smiled and clapped a hand on the impersonator's shoulder. "Well, nothing bad happened and it _is _a miracle to see my baby girl dance again-"

"Dad!" Barbara gave his arm a playful shove in protest.

"-So we'll add this night to your list of miracles, eh? Now, I'm sure you've still got a few more songs to do."

"But Jim-" Bruce began but the Commissioner shook his head.

"Let it go, Bruce. It's my daughter's and your son's night. Let's let them enjoy it, eh?"

And miracle in itself, Bruce relented. He gave everyone a huge smile and shooed the impersonator back to the stage. Barbara knew though, that after tonight, Batman will be following up on one Elvis impersonator to check his story. But that was for another day.

Tonight, Elvis sang '_I Just Can't Help Believin'_ ' and '_Today, Tomorrow and Forever_' to a crowd of friends, relatives, acquaintances, and even allies. Tonight, Dick and Barbara shared another kiss to everyone's delight. And tonight was so magical Barbara was doubly glad she and Dick had decided they didn't need a separate reception for the caped community.

_'The cares of life will fade away, as long as we're together.'_


End file.
